Glass Half Full

In the forest

For the first time in six weeks--since having her knee injury diagnosed as a torn meniscus--Dr. K accompanied Willow, Frio and me on a short hike; it was short because we intentionally abbreviated it, doing only half of the Grand View Trail.  She held up well, but had to take ibuprofen when we returned to the cabin.

The dogs were particularly unruly, pulling this way and that in an attempt to inhale every new scent that came their way.  Fortunately we ran into nobody else (with dogs) either coming or going.

When we got back I roamed around in the forest near our property in order to photograph some cacti I'd seen earlier while scouting the area with Frio.  I'm not sure I've identified them properly here.

Grand View Trail

White Sands National Park

Willow, Frio and Dr. K at the midway ramada

Hedgehog on a cliff

New Mexico Rails-to-Trails ramada, Grand View Trail

Distant view of White Sands

Fragrant Ash in flower

This and the next:  Bigleaf Periwinkle

Bigleaf Periwinkle (Vinca major)

Robust Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus Fasciculatus)?

This & the next 2:  Lace Hedgehog Cactus?

Lace Hedgehog (Echinocereus reichenbachii)?

Lace Hedgehog

Lacespine Pincushion Cactus?

Sacramento Mountains

 

Desert to Mountains

Organ Mountains

Willow, Frio and I did a hike up to First Arroyo and back before heading home to finish packing for a trip to the high country.

We're at our place in the Sacramento Mountains now, enjoying the cooler weather.  While I was playing ball with Frio in the early afternoon we had a visit from Cowboy and the new dog, a Heeler that kind of resembles Willow.

Frio interacted with both dogs, and they played a while.  Willow was in the front yard snarling and barking at the canine conference she could only observe from a distance.

Heading up the long dirt road

This and the next:  mesquite blooming

This and the next 2:  Black-chinned Hummingbird

Frio and Willow

Big clouds over Haynes Canyon

 

Getting Toasty

On the upper flatland road

It already felt very hot when we started off this morning; we're headed for a high of 91F.  When I stopped for photos on the outbound leg I made sure we were near a shady spot so Willow and Frio wouldn't have to lie in the sun.

We caught a break during the middle portion of our trek when the sun ducked behind high level clouds.  Once inside Second Arroyo we took a break in the shadow of a huge yucca where we drank water and relaxed for a bit.

Then we bushwhacked over the ridge into First Arroyo and headed back for the upper flatland, where I spotted my first blooming Prickly Pear (pictured below).  What I hadn't realized until later was that I had captured a photo of a flowering Prickly Pear in image #3.

Before heading home after our hike we drove to the small post office, where I mailed a bill, and then we headed over to the Pic Quik on University to get gas.

This and the next:  heading down LDR-A

Crazy clouds above the mountains

Frio and Willow

Into the roiling sky

LDR

Willow and Frio

This and the next:  Frio and Willow

This and the next 2:  Tortugas and the Organs

Looking north on LDR

Organ Mountains

Ocotillos blooming

Long view of the Organs

The rest:  Prickly Pear flowering

 

Humidity Plus Sun Equals Heat

Ocotillos blooming

I left the house today dressed in a long-sleeve shirt, long trousers and my Marmot PreCip jacket.  Even though the jacket is super light I knew as soon as I stepped out of the CR-V near the trailhead that I was over-dressed.  Humidity from the past few rainy days combined with brilliant sunshine made me really hot.

I was steaming all the way up to First Arroyo where we stopped for a respite in the shade of a huge Soaptree Yucca.  I removed my jacket, tied it to my waist, rolled the sleeves up on my Craghoppers shirt and wished I had worn hiking shorts.

Conditions improved as we headed back, though, because a refreshing breeze picked up and cooled me down significantly.  We're supposed to hit 88F today, with higher temperatures coming tomorrow.

This and the next 2:  Willow and Frio

East in First Arroyo

This and the next:  same tree

Ocotillo flowers

Bishop Cap

Desert Cardinal in one of our Mesquite Trees